The present invention is directed to an enclosure for an animal litter box and particularly to an enclosure for a litter box that minimizes odors and contains stray litter and stains.
Pet ownership provides a great deal of joy to many people, however dealing with litter boxes is hardly a joyous experience. Litter boxes cause pet owners a number of problems, particularly when the litter box is placed indoors. Among the problems are odors, as well as the tracking of stains and loose litter by the animal when exiting the box. Furthermore, the space used by the litter box is effectively lost as storage space. While a number of new litter box designs have become available in the past few years, these boxes have not completely overcome the problems of odors and litter tracking. These problems lead many pet owners to keep the litter box outdoors, which leads to other problems such as the need to provide a way for the pet to enter the house, a solution which is not feasible for apartment dwellers.
The prior art litter boxes are exemplified by the following U.S. patents:
The present invention is directed to a sanitary enclosure for an animal litter box that provides numerous benefits over the prior art, these benefits include:
1) Undesirable odors are greatly minimized as any odors emanating from the soiled litter will predominately remain within the enclosure and will not escape into the home or apartment where the enclosure is located.
2) The enclosure contains space suitable for the placement of a pad for cleaning the animal""s paws as it exits the litter box, but before it exits the enclosure, so that stains and the tracking of loose litter by the animal are greatly reduced.
3) Storage or working space in the house or apartment will not be lost as items can be placed on top of the enclosure without concern for potential contact and contamination by soiled litter.
4) As the vast majority of litter particles tracked out of the litter box are contained within the enclosure, clean up time is minimized and the area around the enclosure remains more sanitary.
5) As odors and stains are greatly reduced, indoor placement of the litter box becomes feasible in many situations where it was not previously feasible.
6) Litter boxes of almost all current types may be used with the present sanitary enclosure, which minimizes additional costs by eliminating the need to purchase a new litter box.
To these ends, the present invention is directed to a sanitary enclosure for an animal litter box that includes a top wall, a bottom wall and peripheral walls forming an enclosed space for accommodating a variety of standard litter boxes or trays. An aperture is located in one of the peripheral walls to permit an animal to enter and exit the enclosed space. Space adequate for the placement of a pad for cleaning the animal""s paws is located between the aperture and the litter box. A removable or openable wall is provide to enable the litter box to be readily removed and replaced. The sanitary enclosure facilitates clean up and litter replacement while greatly reducing odors and stains caused by the tracking of litter out of the litter box.